


Holes

by carolinecrane



Category: Harry Potter - Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-09-29
Updated: 2010-09-29
Packaged: 2017-10-12 07:40:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/122527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carolinecrane/pseuds/carolinecrane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fred left a lot of holes when he went.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Holes

**Author's Note:**

> Post-series, so spoilers.

Even all these months later, the hole left where George's ear used to be was still a bit of a shock. The hole where Fred used to be was even worse.

Thing was, it was hard for any of them to get used to George without Fred. It was just…who they were, Fred-and-George, like Lee was a great talker and Angelina was a great Quidditch player. George without Fred was a bit like Lee without his voice, and that was the other thing that was so disconcerting.

It started at the funeral. That was when she noticed, at any rate, though it may have started as far back as Hogwarts. Point was, Fred had always been around before, larger than life and dominating every scene, and Angelina had never had eyes for much else when he was in the picture. So it could have started way back then and she just didn't notice, but now that Fred was gone, things were more clear.

Perhaps it was because everyone expected things to work themselves out in a certain way. Most people expected to see Lee with George, because he'd always been there even when it was still Fred-and-George. No one expected him to replace Fred – no one ever could – but they were used to _someone_ being there to finish George's sentences, take credit for all the best ideas and harass George out of the funks he fell into every now and then. It was Fred's job, but he wasn't there anymore, so the only one left was Lee.

And Lee was there, right by George's side every time they met Angelina and the others down the pub for a pint and a bit of reminiscing. He was there at the funeral, of course, there at the shop every time Angelina stopped in just to say hello, just _there_ , wherever George was. But the thing was, he wasn't talking. Sure, he had his own program on the Wizarding Wireless Network now, which wasn't surprising at all given how popular Potterwatch had been. Angelina turned it on sometimes when she was home alone, just for the comfort of a familiar voice, and if she closed her eyes she could pretend that they were all still at school and the past year had never happened.

He was still chatty as ever on his program, covering the latest news and the Quidditch scores in between the latest hits from The Weird Sisters. He was still friendly as ever, as well, smiling that bright smile of his and clasping her hand whenever they met. And for a second he was just Lee, just the same bloke who'd annoyed them all a thousand times with Fred and George back at school. And perhaps that was even worse, because whenever Lee smiled at her Angelina forgot, just for a second, that they weren't still the same kids they'd been at Hogwarts. Then he'd let go of her hand and turn back to George, and she'd remember.

She always thought the worst part of losing Fred would be seeing George. Thought it would hurt too much to see a face she'd loved still walking about, even though she'd known George most of her life. Even though she could tell them apart the same way Lee could, she'd thought the sight of that face would be the worst of it. But the joke was on her, because it turned out the worst part was how everything changed.

Because where Fred used to be, there was Lee now. Except he didn't harass and embarrass George into being his usual, careless self the way Fred would have. He didn't finish George's sentences, and Angelina hadn't realized until the first time it didn't happen that she was sort of expecting it. Whenever there was something to say, Lee had always been there, but after Fred…everything went quiet.

Now whenever George trailed off halfway through a sentence, there was no identical voice to supply the rest. There was only Lee; Lee, who'd never been known to hold his tongue, and every time George faltered Lee would reach out and touch his sleeve. Just a touch, quiet and swift and Angelina thought she might even be the only one who'd ever noticed.

At first she thought nothing of it, really. George and Lee had always been close, after all, and at first it seemed just like them being mates. But it was the quiet that kept her watching, and after a while she noticed the look between them whenever Lee reached out. She wouldn't be able to put it into words if anyone asked, but it made her heart clench all the same. The looks between them, the touches, the _quiet_ … it made her feel like that time Flint collided with her in mid-air and knocked the breath right out of her. Made her feel like she was seeing something she shouldn't, and when Lee caught her looking and smiled apologetically, she knew she was right.

 _George_ hadn't changed all that much; at least he tried to act like he was still the same as before. He still joked around and played tricks on all of them just to see them blush, still put on a show for the customers at his shop and tried to act like half of him wasn't missing. But it was different all the same, because instead of Fred-and-George, now there was Lee-and-George, sitting just a little closer than they had at school and touching just a little more often than mates would.

And she didn't mind, really, because George wasn't Fred, and he never could be. She'd never thought…at least she'd never _meant_ to think…but George looked just like Fred, and it was only natural. That's what she told herself every time she saw George and her heart skipped, in the second before she remembered and the guilt rushed in.

She didn't want to replace him. She didn't, and she knew George didn't want that either. Didn't _need_ it, because they'd both lost Fred, but George still had Lee. He had Lee to laugh with him and be quiet with him and just to _touch_ him when all he needed was to know someone was there.

Angelina…well, all she had was the vast, empty hole where Fred had been, and there was no one to fill it.


End file.
